Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Linked
by Storm Starshine
Summary: Three years have passed since the Arc-V Incident, and things have started to calm down a little. However, the appearance of a mysterious girl changes everything. What does this appearance mean for the dimensions? Who is this other self the girl has? And most importantly, wy does this girl seem so intent on dueling Yuzu and Aoi?
1. Prologue

_Ok, so before getting started and setting some ground rules, somethings to go over first._

 _1\. I made this story out of way too much free time thinking about things and some personal distain for how ARC-V turned it out. I honestly wanted the series to do well and it was doing decent until the Synchro Dimension started. That being said, I am going to try to refine somethings that irked me personally. If any of you reading this have some distaste for certain things, I would like to hear what you think I should refine. Off the bat I can say two things that will be different. The first is Action Duels because I like the concept but not the execution. The second is the final 8 episodes and the ending because you know why and story reasons. (Still the same events, but different results at the end.) For the Arc-V side, there is a three year gap between the ending and the start of this story. The characters look mostly the same, just older versions of themselves._

 _2\. This story was pretty much ignited by how good VRAINS is at the the moment. (Keep in mind, this was released after episode 28 aired.) I like the idea of Link Vrains as a whole and thought about how to put it into Arc-V which is how this story was born. Not much else to say here other than a few things. Yusaku and the Knights of Hanoi will have some attention on them, but not too much. The story also takes place after Episode 28, so anything that happens after that will not be acknowledged... unless it's a power up for the main character, then I'll think about how to put it into the story._

 _3\. This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh! story, so if you don't how I like things, tell me what I could improve on. Probably will keep it the same though. How duels will work will be explained next chapter. I also would appreciate it if someone made a cover art for the story, so if you want to make one, PM me._

 _With that out of the way, some ground rules._

 _1\. Excluding chapters without duels, the chapters will be long so sit down for the long haul._

 _2\. There will be original cards and altered effects for existing cards. If you have salt about that, leave that at the door._

 _3\. This story will not update frequently, so be patient._

 _With all that done with, enjoy the prologue._

* * *

 **Prologue: After ARC-V**

 _It has been three years since the "Arc-V Incident" and the four dimensions have been recovering since. All the destruction that had been cause is being rebuilt and everyone is working with each other. Even Yuya and Yuzu managed to get their dimensional counterparts separated from themselves to their home dimensions. Yuya even takes some time to visit the other dimensions._

 _However, this story is not about Yuya or any of his dimensional counterparts. This story is about three girls and the appearance of an old foe that was thought to be long gone..._

[Hl]

"Yuzu, are you ready yet?" Syuzo called upstairs.

"I'm almost ready." Yuzu said as she finished getting dressed. Looking over herself in the mirror, she liked the uniform she was wearing. The uniform consisted of a red lined white jacket, a blue dress shirt, a short red skirt, and black stockings. After smiling at herself, Yizu grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.

"About time you got down here. Someone dropped by for a visit." Syuzo said.

"Is it Yuya?" Yuzu asked as she got downstairs.

"No, just someone coming ask a favor." a familiar voice said. Yuzu turned to the source of the voice and saw Reji standing there.

"Reji! What are you doing here?" Yuzu said out of surprised.

"Well, I actually came here to talk with your father about something and pass you a request I had. However, since you're still here, I might as well make the request in person." Reji said as he adjusted his glasses.

"What did you need of me?" Yuzu questioned.

"I take it that you know of the cross school program that is happening at your school?" Reji asked.

"You're talking about the one with Den City High School right?" Yuzu said.

"Exactly, the LEO Corporation and SOL Technologies are funding this even, allowing a student exchange between the two schools." Reji explained.

"If I remember correctly, the students will basically be spending a school year in the cities. The students will also live with a student from our school." Yuzu said.

"Ah, I see you remembered that detail. That's good because it relates to the favor that I wanted to ask you." Reji said. Yuzu tilted her head curiously as he listened to what Reji had to say. "You see, there was a last minute addition to the trip and the student in question has been assigned to live with you." Reji began.

"You want me to look after her don't you?" Yuzu finished.

"Not only that, but I want you to help her get used to this city. The student's brother said that they can be a little skittish." Reji said as he got out a slip of paper.

"That's fine with me." Yuzu said in a kind tone.

"Good." Reji said simply as he handed the paper to Yuzu.

"What's this?" Yuzu asked.

"Something that I would read alone." Reji responded. Yuzu simply shrugged as she walked to the door.

"Ok, I'll see the two of you later." Yuzu said as she left the house.

[hl]

 _Meanwhile, at Paradise Airport…_

Aoi was just getting out of the flight area and stretched as she got her suitcase. " _Man, I really hate long flights. Still this is going to be an interesting exchange program._ " Aoi thought to herself. As she was stretching, she noticed that Yusaku was walking up to her.

"Aoi, are you ok?" Yusaku asked in his usual tone.

"Yeah, just stretching to wake myself up." Aoi said.

"Good, although I will say that I am surprised to see you here." Yusaku said.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world. My brother managed to arrange something with the LEO Corporation." Aoi said as she looked around. Yusaku simply nodded as he listened to that. "By the way Yusaku, can I ask you a something?" Aoi questioned.

"What is it?" Yusaku asked.

"Are you Playmaker?" Aoi responded. Yusaku didn't react at all as he simply looked at Aoi.

"How did you figure it out?" Yusaku questioned in his calm tone.

"Well, it was the little things that made me think of the idea, like your Duel Disk. I just needed you to confirm it." Aoi said. Yusaku then gave a slight smile.

"You're clever you know that." Yusaku said in a proud tone.

"Thanks, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Aoi said as she walked away. After she walked away, Yusaku sighed as he grabbed his bag.

"Happy she's feeling better?" Ignis asked.

"Quiet you." Yusaku said before walking in the direction that Aoi was going.

[hl]

 _Elsewhere in Paradise City..._

A student was running through the forest, trying to get away from something. Right now, he was in the middle of a duel with a mysterious girl. The Student was down to 2500 Life Points with an empty field. The Mysterious Girl on the other hand had all her life points and a field full of monsters they had never seen before with it the girl's turn. (Student: 2500 LP) (Mysterious Girl: 4000 LP)

"Damn it, where is an Action Card?" the student thought as they ran away. As they did, resounding footsteps could be heard from behind them. When they turned around, they saw the monster that was chasing them. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a tree root and fell to the ground.

"I told you, you're not escaping my sights." the girl said as they appeared next to him.

"What do you want from me?" the student asked. The girl simply stayed silent as the footsteps got closer.

"Battle!" the girl said simply. When the girl said that, the footsteps stopped and the girl's monster appeared next to her before continuing. "Supreme King Dragon Odd-Eyes, Direct Attack! **Spiral Darkness Burst!** " The dragon then breathed a breath of spiraling dark energy at the student, finishing off the student's life points. (Student: 2500 - 2500 = 0) (Winner: Mysterious Girl).

"Alright, you won. Now just let me go." the student said as the action field disappeared.

"And let you go back to being the leader of a drug trade, I think not." the girl said. Before the student could say anything, a ring the girl was wearing started to glow. "Be banished into darkness, tainted soul! **Soul Break**!" the girl announced. The world then distorted around them for a brief moment before the student fell to ground unconscious.

" _Well, you certainly took care of that._ " a voice said.

"You saw what they were capable of, you should be glad I stepped in to save you Storm." the girl said to herself.

" _I'm grateful for that, don't get me wrong. I'm just curious as to why you dragged me to this dimension in the first place._ " Storm asked. Before the girl said anymore, she closed her eyes and the two switched souls.

" _Don't get me wrong, I don't know either. However, there is someone that I wanted to find. It's fuzzy, but I remember the girl wearing a bracelet._ " the 'girl' said.

"Not much to go on, but it's a start, let me know if you remember anything else Ray." Storm responded.

" _Got it._ " Ray said before going silent. Storm then sighed before getting used to her body again before walking off.


	2. Link 1

_Author's Note:_

 _Hey there everyone! Our first full Duel in the series is in this chapter._

 _A couple of things to note: At some points I may pause the action to explain a card's effects or ruling in greater detail. This will happen for one or more of these reasons: If the card/ruling is important to the plot, if it's a card I made up, or if the card's effects were altered from the real-life version. An example of this would a card having it's anime/manga effects or me altering a card effect._

 _That being said, I wanted to also give a few notes about duels in this story here because this is when the first duel occur._

 _I will be switching between Master Rules 3 and 4 (referred to as MR3 and MR4 from now on) throughout the story and I will make note of it when the duel starts or have the duelists declare which rule they will use. Also making a rule that Riding Duels are MR3 only, Speed Duels are MR4 only, and Master Duels can be either of the two._

 _Action Duels will be in this story but with my own rules, which will be explained in this chapter, and rarely._

 _When it comes to card names, I'll be using both the Japanese and English names depending on what I like more for the card in question._

 _Also, I am bad at writing card text, so if you could correct me in anyway, what would be great. These cards are also meant to be similar to Anime cards, so expect a lot of ass pulls as the story goes on. I will also not always put a monster's effects after it's introduced, because suspense is a thing._

 _Another thing that I wanted to say, this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh story and I know I could have room for improvement. Let me know in reviews what you think I should improve and such._

 _One last thing before starting, keep an eye on Storm because I am not going to hide the fact that there is more to her than she lets on and I am more than happy to leave hints to her past in sprinkled in chapters. With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter._

* * *

 **Link 1: Paradise's Entertainment Angel!**

Yuzu was currently sitting in her fourth class of the day, listening to the teacher go on about her lecture. She was not paying attention to the lecture that much because she had studied this before. " _I wonder who, if anyone, was assigned to me._ " Yuzu thought to herself.

"Yuzu, are you ok? You seem a bit distracted." Yuya asked.

"I'm fine Yuya, just thinking about the deck that I built." Yuzu said, partially lying about what she said.

"Really? You want to try it out later?" Yuya asked. Before Yuzu could respond, the bell signaling the end of class rang.

"After school, if you're up for it." Yuzu told Yuya with a smile as she got up. Yuya simply smiled as he gathered his things. As Yuzu was getting ready to leave, the teacher spoke up.

"Students, one last thing. Classes are canceled for the rest of the day. You all are expected to head to the front of the school and look for the person you are taking care of. School will also be canceled for the rest of the week." the teacher told the room. That caused a lot of students to start talking happily.

"Well then, looks like it's time." Yuzu said to herself as she walked out of the classroom. As she was walking to the front of the school, she pulled out the paper that Reji had given her. " _Now that I think about it, I haven't looked at this thing yet._ " Yuzu thought as she unfolded the paper. When she looked at the paper, she was very shocked to see a photo of a very familiar dragon. As she was looking at the picture, she bumped into someone and fell to the ground, dropping her backpack and Duel Disk in the process. "I'm sorry." Yuzu said as she picked up her items.

"It's fine, happens more often than you would think. Hey, you wouldn't happen to be a duelist from around here, would you?" the person said.

"Yeah I am, my father runs the You Show Duel School." Yuzu said as she got up off the ground and dusted herself off before turning to the person she bumped into.

"You don't say?" the person said as they reached to their side. Yuzu smiled for a moment before a memory flashed in her mind and she realized who she was talking to.

"Hey, aren't you…" Yuzu said out of surprise.

"Here, why don't you take this? Something tells me that it'll help you in the future." the person said as he held out a card. Yuzu kindly took the card and the person walked past her.

"Um, thank you." Yuzu said as she bowed. The person turned around before giving a thumbs up and walking away. Yuzu looked at the card she was holding before she continuing her walk to to front of the school. The person that Yuzu had bumped into stopped for a moment to turn back and looked at Yuzu walk away.

" _Are you sure that it was a good idea? You know who she is._ " a voice told the man.

"Yeah, I know who she is, but he told me he wanted to go with her. Besides, you can sense something familiar in her, can't you?" the man responded. The voice was silent for a moment as they studied Yuzu.

" _Yeah, but I sure hope you know what you're doing._ " the voice commented before going silent. The man simply smiled before putting his hands in his jacket and walking off.

Aoi and Yusaku were staring up at Paradise High School from the front of the school. "So, this is the school we are going to for the next year?" Aoi asked Yusaku.

"Yep, I've done some research on this school and this place is very well received." Yusaku said as students started to leave the school.

"If I remember right, each of us are going to be assigned a student from this school to stay with. I wonder who we are going to stay with?" Aoi commented.

"I don't know, however I get the feeling that something big is going to happen on this trip." Yusaku said as he closed his eyes in thought. Aoi looked at Yusaku with a confused look before Yuya walked up to them.

"Hey, you wouldn't have to be Yusaku Fujiki would you?" Yuya questioned.

"Yeah, that would be me. You're the one that I'm supposed to stay with?" Yusaku answered in a cautious tone.

"Yes I am. My name is Yuya Sakaki, nice to meet you." Yuya said with a smile as he extended his hand. Yusaku simply shook his hand in response. "Just so you two know, there is no school for the rest of this week." Yuya told the two.

"Makes sense, they would have to make our schedules and adjust accordingly." Yusaku said.

"Yeah, you need a bit of time to talk with your friend? I don't mind waiting." Yuya said as he put his hands behind his head and smiled. Yusaku turned to look at Aoi before giving her a look and turning back to Yuya.

"I was actually done talking with her, we just finished before you walked up to us." Yusaku said as he gave a slight smile. Aoi simply nodded as she wondered what Yusaku was thinking.

"Ok, then follow me." Yuya said as he began to walk off, Yusaku flowing not far behind. As Aoi sighed as Yusaku walked off, she realized that she was holding something. She looked down and saw a Duel Monsters deck in her hand.

"Huh, how did I get this?" Aoi said as she looked around. When she saw no one around her, she quietly looked through the deck. " _This deck is mostly made up of cards I haven't even heard of before. Why do I have this and who gave it to me?_ " Aoi thought to herself as she finished looking through the deck. As she did, she noticed a girl from this school looking around. She quickly stowed the deck away as she decided to look for the owner later. Aoi sighed as she did so, feeling bad about keeping a duelist's deck and walked up to the girl. As soon as she did, Yuzu noticed Aoi walking towards her.

"Hello, you must be Aoi Zaizen, right?" Yuzu questioned.

"That would be me." Aoi said quietly. Yuzu simply smiled and put her hand out.

"My name is Yuzu Hiiragi and I'll be your caretaker for the year." Yuzu said happily. Aoi reached out and shook out her hand before thinking about her deck. "So, you want to to head to my house?" Yuzu asked.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea." Aoi said shyly. Yuzu simply smiled and lead the way to her house. Unknown to either of them, a figure leaned against the wall with a smile on their face.

"Sure hope he knows what he's doing giving that deck to the girl. I worked hard to steal that thing." the figure said before disappearing into shadows.

* * *

After walking for about 15 minutes, the two arrived at Yuzu's house. "And here we are, this is where you'll be staying for the next year." Yuzu told Aoi.

"I will admit, this is a nice place." Aoi said as she looked at the outside. Yuzu smiled as she opened the door and let Aoi inside. Once inside, Yuzu closed the door behind her and noticed a device that was light blue with a shape similar to a tulip flower with a small dark blue gem at the back and a white armband that had a glowing light blue stripe on Aoi's left wrist.

"Aoi, if you don't mind me asking, what is that device on your wrist?" Yuzu questioned curiously. Aoi took a moment to process what she had just heard before turning to Yuzu.

"You haven't heard about this?" Aoi asked as she brought up her left arm with her Duel Disk.

"No, it actually looks really nice. Should I know about it?" Yuzu asked as she got a better look at it.

"You should, this is one of the newer models of the Duel Disk that SOL Technologies." Aoi told Yuzu.

"Really? It looks nothing like the ones we have around here." Yuzu said.

"Well, it is made to work exclusively in Link VRAINS, so that's probably why you don't recognise it." Aoi said as she put her arm down.

"Yeah, we don't really have those around here. I've heard that the LEO Corporation has been trying to get some of those over here, but haven't had any luck yet." Yuzu told Aoi.

"Do you mind if I see your Duel Disk? I kind of want to know what they look like over here." Aoi said in a shy tone.

"Actually, I can do better than that. Wait here for a sec." Yuzu said as she went upstairs. As Aoi was left in the living room, she looked around and noticed a note on the table. Aoi tilted her head as she walked over and picked up the note. She then looked at the contents as she sat on one of the couches. After a few minutes, Aoi heard footsteps down the stairs. "Sorry about the wait, I forgot where I left this thing." Yuzu said as she walked down stairs with a package.

"It's fine, we all forget things at times." Aoi commented. Yuzu held out the package and noticed the note in Aoi's hand.

"What do you have there?" Yuzu asked.

"It's a note from your dad. Sorry if it was personal, I just wanted something to do." Aoi said as she took the package and held out the note. Yuzu took the note and walked a bit away as Aoi looked over the package. "I wonder what is in here?" Aoi thought.

"I completely forgot about that." Yuzu exclaimed, breaking Aoi's train of thought.

"Is something wrong?" Aoi questioned as as held out the package so Yuzu could take it back.

"I forget that I was supposed to help my dad with an exhibition match at the Duel School." Yuzu said as she took the package and put it on the couch.

"Duel School?" Aoi asked.

"I can tell you about it on the way, but it'll be easier to see it for yourself if you want to tag along." Yuzu offered as she walked up to the door. Aoi quickly looked back at the bags she had before looking back at Yuzu.

* * *

"I don't mind going. This Duel School has me interested." Aoi said as she made sure she had everything they needed. After a few minutes, the two left for the house and headed out to the Duel School.

After about half an hour of travel, the two arrived in front of the You Show Duel School. "So, your dad owns this place? I have to say, I didn't expect your family to own something like this." Aoi said as they approached the entrance.

"Yeah, it's kind of nice to be honest." Yuzu told Aoi as they entered the building. When they entered, they hear the sound of a duel going on. "Someone's dueling? The exhibition match shouldn't be for another half an hour." Yuzu said as she went towards the Dueling area. Aoi looked around and followed Yuzu as she kept an eye out for anyone else. When they reached the dueling area, Yuzu saw a duel just finishing up.

"Nice duel, I didn't think that you could push Pendulums that far, especially with the new rules and that new monster you showed off." a voice familiar to Yuzu said as the door to the arena opened and someone walked out.

"Dad, I was wondering what was going on here. Were you dueling with someone?" Yuzu asked her father as the door closed.

"Not really, it's just that someone requested to duel against one of the new Duel Bots we got using the new Master Rule 4. I have to say, she showed some impressive dueling skills today." Syuzo said. As he said that, the door opened again and the duelist that Syuzo was talking about walked through. The duelist was a girl with long silver hair with a white ribbon in it, gold and silver eyes, and a complection similar to Yuzu's. She wore a sky blue sleeveless top, a circular pendant that was half red and half green, a purple jacket, a semi clear green skirt, white pants, and black boots.

"It's nothing really, I just adapted to the situation the best I could." the girl said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"That wasn't adapting, it was more like your deck was an extension of you. Don't sell yourself short like that." Syuzo said. The girl simply rubbed the back of her head and blushed a little at that comment.

"Master Rule 4? I've heard about it, but never seen it in action." Yuzu commented.

"It's an amazing experience, something you have to experience for yourself. I'm Storm Starshine by the way, nice to meet you." Storm told Yuzu as she extended a hand.

"I'm Yuzu Hiiragi, one of the duelists participating in exhibition duel. My friend here is Aoi Zaizen, a transfer student that is going to be in town for a year." Yuzu said as she shook Storm's hand.

"Yeah, nice to meet you." Aoi said as she did the same. Storm simply returned the shakes with a smile as she looked at Aoi.

"Yuzu said you were from Den City, does that mean you don't have Duel Disk from here?" Storm asked curiously.

"Um, well no, but I don't have a physical deck to use anyway." Aoi said. Storm was about to say something, but Syuzo spoke up.

"Do you two mind if we head off to set up for the duel?" Zyuzo questioned. Storm and Aoi simply nodded in response to the question.

"If you see a boy called Yuya, tell him to go into the dueling arena." Yuzu said before she and her father went into the dueling arena. Aoi looked at Storm for a second before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the deck she had.

"I thought that you didn't have a deck." Storm said as she saw what Aoi pulled out.

"Yeah, I wanted to keep this a secret because I didn't know what to do with this. Is this your deck if you don't mind me asking?" Aoi said as she held the deck out. Storm silently took the deck and looked through it, her eyes widening as she did so.

"This is my deck, but where did you find this again?" Storm asked curiously.

"It just appeared in my hands while I was waiting for Yuzu." Aoi said, hoping that Storm would believe it. Storm went silent for a moment before she paced for a moment.

" _If she has this deck then, someone had to give it to her. The question is, how did whoever stole this from me get it here and give it to this girl?_ " Storm thought as she ran through possibilities. After a few seconds, Storm stopped pacing and turned back to Aoi. "Ok, so first off, thank you for finding this deck for me. I thought I had lost this a year ago." Storm said.

"It's no trouble, just happy to get it back to you." Aio said with a slight smile.

"That being said, I'm actually going to let you keep this." Storm said as she held the deck out to Aoi.

"Wait, why would you do that? You seem glad to have found it and potentially have it back." Aoi asked. Storm was in silence for a moment before she realized something and smiled.

"I mean I am, but i think it would be better in your hands… Blue Angel-chan." Storm said, a small grin forming on her face after the end of her sentence. Aoi's eyes widened as she looked to make sure no one was around.

"How did you know?" Aoi asked nervously and quietly.

"Well, I'm a hacker of sorts and I managed to find out some of the identities of the avatars in Link VRAINS. Of course, I'm going to keep this between us, but I'm just letting you know." Storm explained as she gave Aoi the deck back.

"Right, and what do you want from me in return?" Aoi said with a sigh. Storm simply smiled at how quickly Aoi picked up what she implied.

"For you to take care of the deck and a promise that I want you to make." Storm said as she leaned in to whisper something. As she told Aoi the promise, the door opened and Yuya came rushing into the building.

"Sorry I'm late, had to take care of a few things." Yuya said as he breathed in and out.

"It's fine, Yuzu said to enter the dueling arena." Storm told Yuzu after she finished talking with Aoi. Yuya simply nodded before heading into the Dueling area. "He seems a bit energetic, but I know for a fact that he is an very talented duelist." Storm mentioned. After he said that, the doors opened once again and Yusaku walked into the room.

"So, this is the You Show Duel School?" Yusaku said as he looked around.

"Yusaku, you came over here too?" Aoi questioned as she saw her friend.

"Yep, I imagine that you're here for the same reason I am Aoi." Yusaku said as he walked up to the window to the dueling area. Aoi and Storm did the same, looking as Yuya and Yuzu were getting in place for.

"Do you know what this Exhibition Duel is about Storm?" Aoi asked.

"It's to show the new Action Duel rules and how some duelists would react to it." Storm said as she looked on.

"Action Duels? I've never heard about them." Aoi said. Storm was about to speak up when Yusaku chimed in.

"Action Duels are a variant rule to the normal Master Duels. Duelists use special Solid Vision arenas activated by a special Field Spell to interact with their monsters and battle the opposing Duelist using their decks and special cards known as Action Cards scattered throughout the field." Yusaku explained. Storm looked at Yusaku, impressed by how much he knew.

"I'm impressed that you knew all that." Aoi said.

"I figured that I should read up on the place we were going to be spending a year at and what types of duels they had." Yusaku said.

"Well, in that case, I should probably let you two know about the new rules. As Yusaku said, Action Duels have Action Cards scattered throughout the field. These cards have various effects and act like Quick-Play Spells or set Traps, being able to be used whenever you need them to. You can set them on the field, discard them for card effects, or keep one in your hand for later use, though you can only have one in hand." Storm continued.

"Wow, they sound pretty handy." Aoi said.

"They are, however, the LEO Corporation decided to come up with alternate rule set to challenge duelists. In this rule set, the rules of normal Action Duels are mostly the same, however the main change is with the Action Cards. They have actually changed how some Action Cards work and added new main new thing that they introduced is that each duelist you can only activate 1 Action Card each turn and the fact that you could set Action Cards during either player's turn. All the other rules for them still apply." Storm elaborated.

"That seems a little limiting, but Action Cards seem interesting." Aoi said as she looked on. On the other side of the glass, Yuya & Yuzu both were standing in the middle of the arena waiting for the cue.

"Looks like you're more energetic than usual." Yuzu told Yuya.

"Of course I'm excited. After all, this is our rematch." Yuya said with a smile. Yuzu thought back for a moment before giving a smile and a giggle.

"Yeah, I figured you had something planned for that." Yuzu commented.

"Are you two ready to start?" Syuzo asked. The two nodded before walked to their respective sides of the field. "This duel will take place under the new Action Duel rules. Both of you are ok with these rules?" Syuzo said in a more serious voice. Yuya and Yuzu nodded with determination in their eyes. "Very well then, you both know how to proceed." Syuzo said as he stepped out of the room.

"Ikuze! Background Field Cross Over Set! Duel Stage Melodious Concert active!" Yuya and Yuzu said at the same time. As they yelled those words, the Solid Vision Generator above them whired to live and the area around them was transformed into a opera house like setting with several floating musical scales, platforms shaped like various music notes, and spotlights that shined various different colors. Above them, a globe full of Action Cards burst open and let the cards scatter over the field.

"Let's Go! ACTION DUEL!" (Yuzu: 4000 LP) (Yuya: 4000 LP)

* * *

As the duel got underway, Yusaku and Aoi were amazed by what they saw. "So this is the kind of field the Solid Vision System can create?" Yusaku asked.

"Yeah, it's really spectacular isn't it?" Storm responded with a smile. Aoi just stared on in silence at the field below. " _Still, I do wonder what Background Field and Duel Stage are. I haven't heard them before._ " Storm thought as she did the same.

"I'll go first. Draw!" Yuzu said as she drew a card from her deck. As she looked over her hand, she smiled a little. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, Cards from the Heavens. By banishing one Fairy Type monster from my hand, I can draw 2 cards."

"Getting some new cards I see." Yuya said with a smile.

"I banish Opera the Melodious Diva from my hand and draw two cards." Yuzu said as she did what she said. This made Yuya and Storm a bit shocked.

"She's banishing Opera?" Storm said to herself, Aoi picking up on it.

"I take it that the monster she banished was a powerful one?" Aoi asked.

"It's one of her more potent Main Deck monsters, but I don't see why she would banish it unless she has a dead hand." Storm explained as she looked at the duel.

"You know Yuzu, we could always restart the duel." Yuya said with a smile.

"I would take that offer, if I didn't have something I could do. I activate the Continuous Magic Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." After she inserted the card into her Duel Disk, it appeared on her side of the field. "Thanks to this card's effect, I can Special Summon a Fairy Type monster from my hand when I don't control a monster, and I'm using it right now to Special Summon Elegy the Melodious Diva." She place a card from her hand onto the Duel Disk and on the field, a girl with green skin and hair appeared in a flash of light. The girl was wearing a purple bodysuit, a long purple skirt, a wing like object on her back, and purple boots similar in color to the body suit (Elegy the Melodious Diva: Level 5: ATK 2000 / DEF 1200).

" _Interesting play, I would have thought that she would used Valhalla to summon Opera. What is she up to?_ " Yuya thought.

"Next, since I control a Melodious monster, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva from my hand in Defense Position." On Yuzu's side of the field a girl with green skin and hair, a blue dress with a long skirt, a similar wing like object to Elegy's, and blue shoes (Sonata the Melodious Diva: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000).

"When Sonata is Special Summoned to the field, all Fairy type monsters I control gain 500 attack and defense points while she remains on the field." Yuzu said confidently. At that moment, Sonata began to sing and covered Yuzu's side of the field in a melody of notes (Elegy the Melodious Diva: ATK 2000 + 500 = 2500/ DEF 1200 + 500 = 1700) (Sonata the Melodious Diva: ATK 1200 + 500 = 1700 / DEF 1000 + 500 = 1500).

" _That's what she was after, and I do suppose getting rid of Opera makes sense now. Still, I might have a play that will work._ " Yuya thought as he looked at this hand.

"Elegy has the similar effect, she increases my Fairy Type monsters Attack points by 300 ." Yuzu said. Elegy did the same as Sonata and and more notes covered the field, empowering Yuzu's monsters further (Elegy the Melodious Diva: ATK 2500 + 300 = 2800) (Sonata the Melodious Diva: ATK 1700 + 300 = 2000). "I set one card and end my turn." Yuzu said as a face down card appeared behind her monsters.

"That certainly is a strong opening from Yuzu, but it's not what I expected." Storm said as she looked at the field.

"I'm curious to see what you would have done if you were in her position using her deck." Syuzo commented. That got Storm thinking about that for a bit as she continued to watch the duel.

"My turn, I draw! From my hand, I activate the Field Magic, Sky Iris!" Yuya declared as he inserted the card into his Duel Disk. Around them, a sphere of sparkling blue lines formed and created a faint rainbow like effect.

"Looks like Yuya figured out one of the new rules." Syuzo said with a smile.

"They changed how the old Action Fields works?" Storm asked.

"Not exactly, it's more that they changed how Field Spells work in Action Duels. With the old rules, something like Cross Over was a something both players activated and took up their Field Spell Zone. Under the new rules, it and all other Field Spells like it are now Background Fields, fields that can't be affected by anything other than Action Cards, leaving the Field Spell Zone open. They also still have their own effects that they used to have." Syuzo explained.

"Interesting, but what about the Duel Stage part they said earlier?" Yusaku inquired.

"Yeah, that's a more major change. The best way to explain it is that Duel Stages are similar to a traditional Field Spell in that they provide benefits to the duelists. However, for this duel the two of the agreed not to use the effects of the Duel Stage." Syuzo continued

"It's a shame that we won't get to see them in action, but that's really amazing actually, it opens up a lot of possibilities." Storm said out of intrigue. Aoi simply nodded as she watched the duel.

" _It looks so alive... and somehow familiar._ " Aoi thought as she looked on.

"Next, I Normal Summon Entermate Skullcrobat Joker!" On Yuya's field, a jester wearing a black outfit and a top hat with a skull on it appeared (EM Skullcrobat Joker: Level 4/ ATK 1800/ DEF 100). "Skullcrobat's Monster Effect! When this card is Normal Summoned, I can add one "Entermate" Monster, "Magician" Pendulum Monster or "Odd-Eyes" Monster from my deck to my hand. The monster I chose is Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon." Yuya said as he add a card to his hand. Yuzu heard the name and took a slight breath.

" _Lancer Dragon, that's the card that he beat Shun with. I have a way of beating that thing in my deck, but there is no guarantee that I can get to it._ " Yuzu thought nervously.

"Next I use my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Timegazer Magician and set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuya placed his cards in the Pendulum Zones and on his field two translucent blue pillars appeared with a monster in reach. On the left was a red dragon with dimacrodic eyes with a number 4 in its column and on the right was a black robed wizard with a number 8 in its column. (Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: Scale 4) (Timegazer Magician: Scale 8)

" _He put Odd-Eyes in the Pendulum Scale?_ " Yuzu questioned mentally.

"Swing, pendulum of souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come Forth! My monster servant!" As Yuya chanted this, a circle appeared between the two columns and a single burst of light came out. "Appear before me, Stargazer Magician!" On the field a wizard in a blue garb wielding a twin staff in a defensive position (Stargazer Magician: Level 5/ DEF 2400/ ATK 1200).

"That was a Pendulum Summon? I thought it would be more spectacular." Yusaku commented.

"You're right there, but that is all because of the scales. With the scales of 4 and 8, he could only Pendulum Summon monsters with levels from 5 to 7." Storm said.

"So since his Skullcrobat was level 4, he couldn't bring it back from the Extra Deck." Aoi said, almost on instinct.

"You seem to know a lot about Pendulum Summoning Aoi, is it something that caught your interest?" Storm complimented. Aoi blushed a little at Storm's compliment.

"With that, I end my turn. During the End Phase, I activate Odd-Eye Pendulum Dragon's Pendulum Effect. I can destroy this card to add a Pendulum Monster with 1500 or less Attack from my Deck to my hand." As Yuya declared the effect, Odd-Eyes was destroyed and the left column disappeared. Yuya's deck then shuffled automatically and a card popped out of it which Yuya took and added it to his hand. "The card I chose to add is Enternmate Paratrio." Yuya said in a calm manner.

" _The way he's playing right now is odd for Yuya, even if his hand is bad, he should have kept the two monsters on the field to defend himself. Unless he has something planned for this._ " Storm thought.

"My turn, I draw!" Yuya then looked at the card and gave a slight smile. " _Perfect, this will be good for later._ " Yuya thought as she examined the field. "Battle! Elegy the Melodious Diva attacks Stargazer Magician!" Elegy then opened her mouth and sang, causing a wave of music to head towards. Stargazer.

"I don't think so!" Yuya said as he ran towards Stargazer. Yuya then looked above Yuya and saw an Action card floating above him a fair bit above him.

"Dang it." Yuzu said as she looked around for Action Cards. Yuya quickly jumped up using Stargazer to cost him higher, grabbed the Action Card above him, and inserted it into his Duel Disk while in the air.

"Action Magic! Evasion! The attack is negated!" As Yuya said that, Stargazer moved out of the way of Elegy's attack and caught Yuya before he hit the ground.

"With that, I end my turn." Yuzu said before running towards an Action Card she saw and picking it up.

"My turn, I draw! I use the Parratrio from my hand to re-set the Pendulum Scale!" On the left, the blue column appeared with a trio of birds on a branch. (Enternmate Paratrio: Scale 2) "Swing once again, Pendulum of my soul! Draw your arc of light across the sky once more! Pendulum Summon! Be reborn, my monsters!" The portal appeared between the columns again and two streams of light came out.

"From my Extra Deck, I bring back Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Skullcrobat Joker in Defense mode!" On Yuya's field, Skullcrobat and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon appeared in defense position, each of them having a blue aura around them (EM Skullcrobat Joker: Level 4/ DEF 100/ ATK 1800) (Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: Level 7/ DEF 2000/ ATK 2500) "I set one card face down and with that, I end my turn!" Yuya declared with a sigh of relief.

"I would have thought he would have attacked Sonata with his dragon, but I wonder why he didn't." Yuzaku commented. Storm went silent for a moment before smiling as she know what Yuya planed.

"My turn, I draw!" Yuzu said as she examined Yuya's field. " _With the Action Card I have, I could get this duel close to ending. But if I took this chance, I would also have to deal with Lancer Dragon. I could end it this turn, but I know Yuya wouldn't want that._ " Yuzu though.

"Hey Yuzu, you alright over there?" Yuya called, snapping Yuzu out of her trance.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Yuzu responded.

"Just thought I let you know that I want you to come at me with your best. After all, this duel is a rematch for the one we had back then." Yuya said. Yuzu was silent for a moment then smiled as she was reminded of that day 3 years ago.

"In that case, I want you to do the same with me." Yuzu said in a happy tone. Yuya simply nodded in response before Yuzu looked at her hand. "From my hand, I summon Freya, Spirit of Victory!" On Yuzu's field, a young girl with ice-blue hair in a blue outfit, holding two red pom-poms appeared and was immediately affected by Sonata's and Elegy's effects (Freya, Spirit of Victory: Level 1 / ATK 100 + 800 = 900 / DEF 100 + 500 = 600).

"Freya's effect, as long as this card is on the field, all Fairy Type monsters on my field gain 400 attack and defense." As Yuzu explained Freya's effect, the three fairies on the field glowed yellow as their power increased (Elegy the Melodious Diva: ATK 2800 + 400 = 3200/ DEF 1700 + 400 = 2100) (Sonata the Melodious Diva: ATK 2000 + 400 = 2400 / DEF 1500 + 400 = 1900) (Freya, Spirit of Victory: ATK 900 + 400 = 1300 / DEF 600 + 400 = 1000). "Now I activate the Action Magic - Guard Break!" Yuzu said as she inserted the action card into her Duel Disk.

* * *

 _Action Magic - Guard Break_

 _During the Battle Phase this turn, all monster(s) you control deal piercing damage._

* * *

"Battle! Elegy attacks Entermate Skullcrobat! Thanks to the effect of Guard Break, all of monsters dead piercing damage this turn." Elegy sang another song as more music streamed towards Skullcrobat.

"I activate the Trap Card Shift! When any of monsters are targeted for an attack or card effect, I change the target to another monster I control. The monster I choose is Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" After Yuya said that, Odd-eyes moved in front of Skullcrobat and took the attack. The attack connected and Odd-eyes was destroyed, the force of the destruction harming Yuya's life points (Yuya: 4000 - 1200 = 2800).

" _Yuya had that set just in case. Not only did it protect him from a lot of damage, but his remaining card…_ " Yuzu thought.

"Now, I activate the effect of the Odd-eyes Lancer Dragon! When an Odd-Eyes monster is destroyed by while this card is in my hand, I can tribute two monsters to Special Summon this card." Yuya sid before reaching down to his Duel Disk. Skullcrobat and Stargaze then disappeared in a flash of light. "Come forth! The reliable attack of all your might that crushes the walls of dilemma! Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon!" On Yuya's field, the two lights opened a portal below them. Through it emerged a dragon similar in shape to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with several sword like objects at its joints and sword like wings. (Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon: Level 8/ ATK 3000 / DEF 2500).

* * *

 _Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon (Dragon/Effect)_

 _Level 8_

 _ATK 3000_

 _DEF 2500_

 _If an "Odd-Eyes" monster(s) you control is destroyed: You can Tribute 1 "Odd-Eyes" monster or 2 other monsters; Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can send 1 "Odd-Eyes" monster from your hand or Deck to the Graveyard, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; it has its effects negated. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. During damage calculation (in either player's turn), if a monster you control battles: You can return 1 "Odd-Eyes" monster you control to the hand; that monster cannot be destroyed by that battle, also you take no battle damage from that battle. During damage calculation (in either player's turn), if a monster you control battles: You can send 2 "Odd-Eyes" monsters from your hand to the Graveyard; that monster cannot be destroyed by that battle, any battle damage you take from that battle becomes halved, also inflict damage to your opponent equal to the damage you took from that battle._

* * *

"Looks like he thought ahead, he knew Yuzu would attack one of his monsters and because of that he had a set card ready for it. Lancer's effect only could have activated if his Pendulum Dragon was destroyed." Storm said.

"Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon's effect activates! When this card is Special Summoned, I can send an Odd-Eyes Monster from my deck to the graveyard to target one of your monsters and negate its effects. I send my Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon to the graveyard to negate Freya's effects." Yuya said as he sent his monster to the graveyard. With that, the yellow glow faded from all of Yuzu's monsters (Elegy the Melodious Diva: ATK 2800 / DEF 1700) (Sonata the Melodious Diva: ATK 2000 / DEF 1900) (Freya, Spirit of Victory: ATK 900 / DEF 1300). Yuzu was silent for a moment for a moment before she smiled.

"Not bad Yuya, with that I end my turn." Yuzu said.

"My turn, I draw. Swing once again, Pendulum of my soul! Draw your arc of light across the sky once more! Pendulum Summon! Appear! Wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" With that a single column of light appeared before Yuya and emerged his dragon (Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: Level 7/ ATK 2500/ DEF 2000).

"Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Spirit of Victory Freya! Spiral Strike Burst!" As Yuya's Dragon leapt up in the air, Yuzu quickly set the Action card in her hand and ran away from her monsters looking for another Action Card for her to use. "Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya said as his dragon let out a stream of energy towards Yuzu's monster. Yuzu looked around and found an Action Card on the floor, which she quickly picked up before her monster was destroyed in and exploded, Yuzu feeling some of the force as she lost Life Points (Yuzu: 4000 - 1600 = 2400 LP). Yuzu then looked at the card and her eyes widened.

"This card…" Yuzu said to herself.

"Lancer Dragon attack Sonata!" With that command, Lancer charged forward and quickly slashed through Sonata, destroying her with a slash of it's blade causing her to shatter, causing Yuzu to lose more Life Points (Yuzu: 2400 - 1000 = 1400 LP). "With that, I set one card and end my turn." Yuya said confidently.

"Well, it looks like this Duel is mostly decided." Yusaku said as he examined the field.

"Don't count Yuzu out yet, she has several cards in her deck that could save her." Storm commented.

"My turn, draw!" As Yuzu drew her card she heard a faint cry. Shaking her head as if she was imagining something and looked at the card she drew before her eyes widened. " _This card is…_ " Yuzu though before she chuckled a bit. Yuya noticed the chuckle and immediately looked at his hand. "I set a monster and an Action Card face down. Turn end." Yuzu said as she set her cards.

"My turn, I draw." As Yuya dew his card and looked at it, he gave a sly smile. "Sorry Yuzu, but I'm ending this now. Swing once again, Pendulum of my soul! Draw your arc of light across the sky once more! Pendulum Summon! Appear before us, my monsters! From my Extra Deck, Stargazer Magician!" (Stargazer Magician: Level 5/ DEF 2400/ ATK 1200) "And from my hand, Entermate U-Go-Golem!" Yuya's new monster that appeared next to Lancer was a golem that looked like two Us stacked with a face in the middle. (Entermate U-Go-Golem: Level 4/ ATK 1600/ DEF 1000).

"That monster…" Yuzu said aloud as she remember when she first saw it 3 years ago.

"U-Go-Golem's Effect activates! When this card is Pendulum Summoned, I can Fusion Summon a monster from my Extra Deck using this card as a material." Yuya said as U-Go-Golem glowed.

" _Gatling Ghoul! If he summons that and uses its effect*, I'm done for._ " Yuzu thought as she looked at the field and saw the 12 cards on field (Yuzu: 1400 LP). (* _Note: Gatling Ghoul's Effect deals 200 damage for each card on field._ )

"I Fusion Summon using my Entermate U-Go-Golem and my Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon!" The two monsters in question floated in the air before turning into red, Lancer, and blue, Golem, and mixing together! "Dragon with the reliable attack! Golem that combines souls! Fuse and become a beast of unquestionable might! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Entermate Odd-Eyes Metal Claw!" The vortex that was created disappeared and from it appeared a tall beast in armor with sharp metal claws (Entermate Odd-Eyes Metal Claw: Level 8/ ATK 3000/ DEF 2000).

* * *

 _Entermate Odd-Eyes Metal Claw (Dragon/ Fusion/ Effect)_

 _Level 8  
ATK 3000_

 _DEF 2000_

 _1 "Odd-Eyes" monster + 1 "Performapal" monster_

 _Cannot be used as Fusion Material. Unaffected by other cards' effects the turn it is Fusion Summoned. If this card declares an attack: All monsters you currently control gain 300 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase._

* * *

"So this is a Fusion Summon." Aoi said as she saw the monster.

"Don't be too surprised just yet, he isn't finished. Remember, this duel is under Master Rule 3." Storm commented.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card, Fusion! This allows me to Fusion Summon using monsters from my field and hand. The monster I choose are Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Stargazer Magician." As Yuya said that, The same thing that happened earlier was happening with his other two Monsters.

" _He wants to finish this fast._ " Yuzu thought as she recognised the combo.

"Wielder of mysterious powers, become the bright light and dwell in the eyes of the dragon! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Arcane dragon wielder of ancient magic! Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya chanted as the monster appeared on the field (Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: Level 8/ ATK 3000/ DEF 2500).

"Amazing, so this how a Master Rule 3 Duel can go." Yusaku said.

"Yeah, this is how people in this town Duel." Storm said. As she said that, she noticed Aoi clench her fist. " _Heh, looks like they won over her._ " Storm thought with a smile.

"Battle! Metal Claw attacks your face down monster! Metal Claw's Effect! When this monster attacks, all my monsters gain 300 ATK until the End of the Battle Phase." (Entermate Odd-Eyes Metal Claw: ATK 3000 + 300 = 3300) (Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: ATK 3000 + 300 = 3300) Upon slashing the facedown monster, it was immediately slashed in two and destroyed. Yuya then gulped for a moment as he realized the situation.

"Yuya, I know what you're thinking. Don't hesitate." Yuzu said simply with a smile. Yuya simply nodded before he simply pointed at Yuzu and Elegy. Rune-Eyes then jumped up and fired two beams from the circle on it's back. The first one hit Elegy and destroyed it, with Yuzu seeming as bit sad by it.

"This is it Yuzu." Yuya said with a slight frown.

"I don't think so Yuya." Yuzu said with a grin. Before Yuya could say anything, one of the Action Cards on Yuzu's field flipped face up. "Risky Action - Mirror Explosion activate!" Yuzu said as the attack was stopped in mid air and collected into a ball.

* * *

 _Risky Action - Mirror Explosion_

 _Action Trap_

 _When you are targeted for a direct attack, negate the attack then destroy all other cards on the field, and if you do, inflict 200 damage to both players for each card destroyed. If a card would not be destroyed, it is banished._

* * *

"Risky Action? That must be one of the new Action Cards." Storm commented.

"Yeah, there are actually 3 different types now. There are the normal ones that we have seen them use. This one is a Risky Action, Action Cards that usually have a very risky effect to use them. And there is one more, but I'll leave that one a surprise." Syuzo explained as they all watched the duel.

"When you target me for a Direct attack, that attack is negated and all other cards on the field are destroyed." As Yuzu explained the effect, the two set cards on her field along with Rune Eyes, Yuya's Field Spell, Pendulum Scales, and set card were all destroyed. "Each Player then takes 200 damage for each Card destroyed. Since 7 cards were destroyed, we both take 1400 damage." Yuzu said with the same smile.

"Wait a second, if that happens then you lose." Yuya said out of surprise.

"Are you sure about that?" Yuzu responded. Yuya was confused by her response until the the attack that was frozen blew up, making a layer of smoke across the field. After the smoke cleared on Yuya's side, he was coughing a bit as his Life Points decreased (Yuya: 2800 - 1400 = 1400 LP).

" _Why did she do that?_ " Yuya thought as the smoke around Yuzu cleared. When the smoke cleared, everyone watching saw a yellow barrier around Yuzu's body protecting her and her Life Points (Yuzu: 1400 LP).

"Surprised?" Yuzu said as the barrier faded away.

"How?!" Yuya asked out of surprised. As if in response to the question, a small winged creature came from behind Yuzu.

"The set monster you destroyed was Winged Kuriboh. When it's destroyed by battle or card effect, I can't take any damage for the rest of the turn." Yuzu said as she pat Winged Kuriboh on the head before it disappeared.

"That's a new trick. She seems to have gotten better." Storm commented to Syuzo.

"Not only that, but since my set card was destroyed, it's effect activates." Yuzu said as she took a card from her graveyard. "When this set card is destroyed, it special summons itself to my field. Revive, Artifact Scythe!" As Yuzu placed the card on her Duel Disk, a purple figure wield a scythe appeared in a defensive position (Artifact Scythe: Level 5/ ATK 2200/ DEF 900).

"I see, by setting Artifact Scythe, she could make it so Yuya couldn't summon monsters from the Extra Deck for the turn. Why would she wait til now to use it though?" Aoi commented, breaking the silence she was having.

"She probably didn't have any cards that could easily destroy it with. The only card she had was Mirror Explosion, but I think she wanted to wait until Winged Kuriboh was destroyed." Yusaku said as he watched the duel closely. Off to the side, Storm looked on and smiled a little.

"Turn end. Not bad Yuzu, but you know you'll have to finish me this turn. Even if you took care of Rune Eyes, there are still Action Cards that I can use." Yuya said with a big smile. Yuzu then sighed as she knew what he was talking about.

" _If that's the case, then this draw decides the game._ " Yuzu thought as she closed her eyes and placed her hand on her deck. As she started to draw her card, she felt a warm presence around her, seeming guiding her. "It's my turn, I draw!" Yuzu said confidently as she drew her card. When she opened her eyes, she gave a happy grin.

"Yuya, sorry to say, but this duel is already over." Yuzu said happily. Before Yuya could say anything else, Yuzu inserted her card into her duel disk. "I activate the Magic Card, Melodious Fusion!"

* * *

 _Melodious Fusion_

 _Spell Card_

 _Tribute 1 LIGHT attribute monster you control, and if you do, Fusion Summon 1 "Melodious" Fusion Monster or 1 Fairy Type Fusion Monster monster from your Extra Deck using Fairy Type Monsters from your hand, field, or deck as Fusion Materials. If you Fusioned Summoned a "Melodious" Fusion Monster, Special Summon "Melodious" monsters from your Graveyard up to the number of Fusion Materials used but they are banished when the leave the field._

* * *

"Melodious Fusion?!" Yuya exclaimed as he didn't recognise the card.

"I tribute one Light attribute monster and the Fusion Summon a "Melodious" Fusion Monster or a Fairy Type Fusion Monster using Fairy Type monsters from my hand, field, or deck. I tribute Artifact Scythe and from my deck, I use Mozart, Aria, and Soprano to Fusion Summon." Yuzu said as she took the cards from her deck. As Scythe was tributed, three virtual cards appeared behind Yuzu.

"Oh, Prodigy of Music! Join these voices of light in harmony to create a song that protects and resounds! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Guardian Maiden of the Melodious! Symphonia the Melodious Minstral!" As Yuzu said the summon chant, a female figure formed on Yuzu's field. The figure wore a pinkish silver shirt with musical notes of various colors all over it, a black skirt that reached to her knees, a pair blue gauntlets and grieves with a red gemstone on the back of each of the the gauntlets and the base of each of the grieves, and a black and white domino mask (Symphonia the Melodious Minstral: Level 7/ ATK 2500/ DEF 2000).

" _That's a new card._ " Storm thought to herself.

"Don't be too surprised just yet, this concert is just beginning. Melodious Fusion's effect activates! Since I Fusioned Summoned a Melodious Fusion Monster, I can Special Summon Melodious monsters from my graveyard up to the number of Fusion Materials used." Yuzu said confidently.

"From your graveyard!?" Yuya exclaimed.

"Return to the stage, Mozart, Sonata, Elegy!" Yuzu said as she placed her monsters in Defense Position. On her side of the field, her three monster appeared on the field, With Elegy's and Sonata's effects taking effect (Elegy the Melodious Diva: ATK 2800 / DEF 1700) (Sonata the Melodious Diva: ATK 2000 / DEF 1900) (Mozart the Melodious Maestra: Level 8/ ATK 3400/ DEF 2800).

"Amazing, she was able to turn the Duel in her favor in one turn." Aoi said out of amazement.

"But even still, her new monster isn't strong enough to defeat Metal Claw." Yusaku noted.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Storm said as she watched the field closely.

" _Symphonia has less attack then my Metal Claw, what is she planning?_ " Yuya thought suspiciously as he looked around for an Action Card.

"Yuya, sorry to tell you this, but my strategy is already complete." Yuzu said as the gems on Symphonia's gauntlets began to glow. As they did, a pair of twin swords appeared in her hands as the same aura that was around Yuzu's other monsters surrounded her (Symphonia the Melodious Minstral: ATK 2500 + 800 = 3300/ DEF 2000 + 500 = 2500). "When Symphonia is Fusion Summoned using only Melodious Monsters as Material, she is treated as a Fairy Type for all card effects." Yuzu explained. Yuya then quickly started to run towards an Action Card he saw.

"On top of that, I activate Symphonia's effect. Once per turn, I tribute a Fairy type Monster on my field to give Symphonia one of two effects. The first effect is that she gains half of the original Attack points of the tributed monster. The second is that she can attack twice this turn. I release Mozart to activate this effect and choose the first effect." As Yuzu said that, Mozart was tributed and the particles left behind flowed into Symphonia, increasing her attack power more and causing the music notes on her shirt to light up (Symphonia the Melodious Minstral: ATK 3300 + 1400 = 4700).

"4700 ATK?!" Yuya and Storm exclaimed.

"Battle! Symphonia attacks Metal Claw!" Yuzu said. Upon hearing the command, Symphonia dashed forward with a sword in each of its hands. As the monster reached Metal Claw, Yuzu quickly grabbed an action card and looked at it.

"All right!" Yuya said as he inserted it into his Duel Disk just as Symphonia sliced through and destroyed Metal Claw. This cause a big explosion on Yuya's side of the field, covering it in smoke as Symphonia returned to Yuzu's side.

"Is it over?" Aoi asked. Storm took a breath to speak before Syuzo interjected.

"No, not quite." Syuzo said as he looked at the smoke. On the duel field, Yuzu was relaxing for a moment before he saw something through the smoke. As the smoke cleared Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was in Attack mode and Yuya was stood behind it as he panted from the running (Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: Level 8/ ATK 3000/ DEF 2500) (Yuya: 4400 - 1700 = 2700 LP).

"HOW!?" Yuzu exclaimed. Seemingly in response to that, more smoke cleared to reveal an activated card.

"Miracle Action - Regenerative Resurrection! One monster from my graveyard is revived and I gain life equal to its original Attack Points." Yuya said as he panted.

* * *

 _Miracle Action - Regenerative Resurrection_

 _Action Magic_

 _Target one monster in your graveyard, Special Summon it in Attack Mode, and if you do, gain Life Points equal to its original attack._

* * *

"Miracle Actions, Action Cards that can turn the duel in one's favor very easily. These cards are rare to find, but incredibly useful when you do find them." Syuzo explained.

"Wow I can't believe you found a Miracle Action." Yuzu said.

"Guess I'm just lucky." Yuya said.

"You sure about that?" Yuzu said with a smile. Before Yuya could say something, Symphonia's shirt glowed brighter as she formed a bow with her two swords. "I forgot to mention something about Symphonia's Effect. If I tributed a Melodious Monster, she gains both effects." Yuzu said confidently.

"What!?" Yuya exclaimed.

"That's right, this is the power of Symphonia, my Ace Monster!" Yuzu said with a confident tone.

* * *

 _Symphonia The Melodious Minstrel (Warrior/ Fusion/ Effect)_

 _Level 7_

 _ATK 2500_

 _DEF 2000_

 _1 "Melodious Maestra" monster + 2 Fairy Monsters_

 _If this card was summons using only "Melodious" monsters as Fusion Material, this card is be treated as a Fairy type for card effects. Once per turn, tribute one Fairy Type monster you control, and if you do, apply one of the following effects. If the tributed Monster was a Melodious, apply both effects:_

 _\- This card gains half of the original attack of the tributed monster._

 _\- This card can make up to two attacks during the Battle Phase._

* * *

"Now then, before continuing on, I activate a Quick Play Magic. Melodious Harmonization!" Yuzu said as she activated another card.

* * *

 _Melodious Harmonization_

 _Quick Play Spell_

 _Choose one "Melodious" monster you control with a different ATK from its original ATK, then target one monster you control. If those monsters are still on the field when this effect resolves, reduce your opponent's monster's ATK by the difference of your monster's ATK. You can only activate "Melodious Harmonization" once per turn._

* * *

"For this card's effect to resolve, I need two monsters. A Melodious Monster I control with its original attack points are changed in someway and one of your monsters. I choose my Symphonia and target your Rune-Eyes for this effect." As Yuzu explained the card, a spotlight appeared on the two selected monsters.

"Looks like she's gotten better." Storm thought to herself as she watched the duel.

"Since both Monsters are still on the field, this card can resolve. Your monster loses attack points equal to the difference of my monsters attack points." Yuzu said with a smile. As the spotlight grew brighter Symphonia sang a melody which headed toward Rune-Eyes, reducing its power drastically (Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: ATK 3000 - 2200 = 800).

"You gotta be kidding me!" Yuya said.

"This is the end. Symphonia the Melodious Minstrel attacks Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Melodious Impact!" In response her command, Symphonia drew an invisible bowstring back, materializing a arrow made of music notes. Symphonia then let the arrow go and it immediately flew towards Rune-Eyes before quickly reaching its target and destroying it in an explosion of music notes. The explosion quickly knocked Yuya off his feet as he smiled and the last of his life points were taken away (Yuya: 2700 - 2700 = 0) (Winner: Yuzu)

* * *

As the Action Field dissipated, Syuzo went into the room to talk with the two leaving Storm, Yusaku, and Aoi alone. "Amazing, she turned the duel in her favor just like that." Aoi commented.

"I am impressed as well, they both displayed exceptional dueling talents." Yusaku said

"Yeah, that's why I love this city and Master Rule 3. That being said, I do like VRAINS and Master Rule 4 as well." Storm commented as Syuzo talked to Yuya and Yuzu. As Storm mentioned VRAINS, she was reminded of something. "Speaking of VRAINS, I need to speak to you two about something." Storm said, her tone suddenly becoming more serious. Yusaku was curious about what she was talking about while Aoi was a little scared.

"What do you want to talk about?" Yusaku questioned.

"Well, what I want to talk about incolces that AI you have… Playmaker." Storm said. Yusaku showed a little surprise as he heard what Storm said.

"So, are you part of Hanoi?" Yusaku questioned.

"No, I'm just someone who is interested in your campaign. That being said, I don't think it would be good for you two to be present in VRAINS with your present accounts." Storm told them.

"You… make a good point. Why are you telling us about this?" Aoi responded.

"Well, it actually relates to something I have to talk to them about." Storm said as he looked at Yuya and Yuzu. As Storm looked at them, Aoi did the same and as she did, she could have sworn she saw someone standing beside Yuzu. As Aoi shook herself, Yusaku continued to look at Storm with a serious expression.

"Why are you helping us?" Yusaku asked.

"Honestly, I want to see Hanoi go down myself. I'll tell you more about the specifics tomorrow, but all you need to know for now is that I am an ally." Storm told Yusaku and Aoi as Yuya, Yuzu, and Syuzo walked out of the room.

"Sorry about the wait, just wanted to let them know something." Syuzo told the three waiting.

"It's fine, I was just letting them know about something regarding Link VRAINS." Storm said in her usual upbeat tone. Aoi was about to say something until she noticed Yuzu holding two pieces of paper.

"You know, these drawings were not exactly easy to make. I hope you know what to do with them." Yuzu said as she held them out. Storm then took the papers and put them away.

"I should let you two know that if you stop by tomorrow, I should have your accounts set up." Storm said.

"Really? You can work that fast?" Yuya asked.

"Yep, I have had very little to do during the day recently." Storm responded.

"Care to explain what you're doing for them?" Aoi questioned.

"Well, I'm actually a Card Shop owner who, with help from the LEO Corporation, managed to get a hold of some special privileges." Storm explained.

"Judging by you said about their accounts, I would take it that you have some sort of access to VRAINS." Yusaku deduced.

"You catch on fast Yusaku. Yes, I do have access to Link VRAINS. To be more specific, I am actually someone who is a programmer on a new version of VRAINS that the LEO Corporation is making." Storm told Yusaku and Aoi.

"A new version of VRAINS!?" Aoi exclaimed.

"I'll explain more about it tomorrow. For now, I gotta get going." Storm said as she started to leave. As everyone waved goodbye, Storm shot Yusaku and Aoi a quick glance before she left the building.

"Now then, I think we should probably head out. I can go ahead and buy food for you all if you like." Syuzo said as he started to leave.

"I'm honestly a bit famished after that duel, I could definitely go for some food." Yuya said as he followed shortly after.

"Man, I swear he is way too easy going." Yuzu said as she stayed were she was.

"Aren't you going to go with them?" Aoi asked curiously.

"I am, I just wanted to let you two know what if you need help with anything, let me or Yuya know." Yuzu said before walking out of the building, leaving Yusaku and Aoi by themselves.

"So, what do you want to do since Storm knows our identities?" Aoi asked.

"We'll talk about it more tomorrow. It might be worth listening to what she has to say." Yusaku said.

"I hope you know what you're doing Yusaku." Aoi said as the two left the building.

* * *

 _That night…_

* * *

In a certain Card Shop, Storm was in her room, "Finally, I'm done with their accounts and setting up their models." Storm said to herself as she leaned back in her desk chair. As she did, she made sure everything was saved and turned off her computer for the night.

"I have to say, I'm impressed with your work Storm. You made those accounts quick." Ray said, her form manifesting in a nearby mirror.

"I told you, I'm a good programmer. That being said, I will admit that you did give me some good advice for the models." Storm said as she got up and walked to the mirror.

"Don't mention it, it's the least I could do to help." Ray responded. The two then had an awkward moment of silence as they thought of what to say

"So, I guess I should ask this now. How did you enjoy that duel?" Storm asked curiously.

"Well, I must say that she has grown. I still want to know when you'll let me duel her." Ray said as she crossed her arms.

"In due time Ray, I want to see how she adapts to Master Rule 4 before then." Storm said as she grabbed a nearby tablet and looked at a list of students.

"You say that, but you act like she's going to learn it fast." Ray said.

"Funny you say that actually, because I was just thinking about someone we met today who I discovered something interesting about." Storm said as she showed Ray the tablet.

"Aoi Zaizen, she was the girl you met at the Duel School today right?" Ray questioned.

"Yep." Storm responded.

"If I recall correctly, when the trip was announced by the LEO Corporation about a month ago, you did some "research" into the students." Ray said, making air quotes when she said research.

"Hey, I'll have you know that hacking into a person's VRAINS account is something I can do." Storm said with a little huff. Ray smiled for a moment before taking another look at the details on the tablet; physical stuff, personality, VRAINS identity, ect.

"So, what did you discover about her?" Rey inquired.

"Recently while you were asleep, I managed to do some digging and found some of Blue Angel's more recent code. This isn't the first time I was able to get her code, if you remember I a copy of her code before Hanoi started to become more active in Den City's VRAINS." Storm explained.

"I remember that moment. So, was there anything out of the ordinary with this set of code?" Ray said.

"Unfortunately, yes there is and it has me thinking about something." Storm said in a worried tone as she put the tablet on a nearby desk before she started to pace.

"What are you worried about?" Ray asked. Storm was silent for a moment as she thought about what to say.

"It just seems too convenient to me. This girl from another town, who I know for a fact is an extremely popular duelist, has a deck she should have no right having." Storm said as she paced.

"The deck you had before you met me." Ray said as she tried to follow Storm. Upon seeing this, Storm moved back in front of the mirror.

"Exactly. I know for a fact someone stole that deck last year. Since it wasn't exactly a common deck, I know for a fact that they wouldn't sell it to just anybody. Before you say anything, Aoi is not someone who would buy anything from the black market." Storm said as she sat at the edge of her bed. Ray was silent for a moment as she tried to put the pieces together.

"You think that whoever stole your deck is the same one who gave it to Aoi?" Ray guessed.

"Right on the money." Storm said.

"Ok, then what does that have to do with Aoi's code?" Ray questioned.

"That's the part I'm trying to figure out." Storm said as she sighed.

"Either way, it's best if we continue this talk tomorrow." Ray said as she looked at a window she could see and saw the nighttime.

"Right, it would be for the best." Storm said as she flipped a light switch near her bed and turned off the lights.

"Rest well Storm, tomorrow is a big day." Ray told Storm as she faded from the mirror. Storm simply nodded as she fell asleep.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Just wanted to leave this here to make note of a few things. First off is that I'm still not a perfect writer so expect grammar hiccups/mistakes. Second, in this story, I'll try to make all my original cards balanced, but no full promises there. Lastly, if you have any fanart of the characters or cards, link them to me and I will put them in the end note of the next chapter I write._


End file.
